Quilting requires precision sewing to fit all the various pieces of a pattern together. Each quilting piece must be provided with a sewing expanse on each edge of the quilting piece to allow for sewing the quilting pieces together to form a quilt. Conventionally, seamstresses mark on the fabric a cutting line that is separated from the sewing line of the quilting piece by about ¼ inch. The fabric is then cut along the cutting line and the cut out piece now has the quilting piece surrounded by a sewing expanse to allow for sewing the quilting pieces together.
Mechanical means for marking a line spaced apart a fixed distance from a master pattern is known. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,215,499 to Glick. A device for sewing a hem on a window shade a fixed distance from an edge is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,352,466 to McAllister. Neither of these devices, however, could be used to cut a quilting piece so that the quilting piece has a sewing expanse for sewing the quilt pieces together.
Various options have been known and developed for enabling a person to take a pattern and develop a quilt. While in perhaps the most simple form, various extra pieces of cloth are simply stitched together; it is often desired by the quilter to develop a specific design, such as a picture or pattern. It is not uncommon for such pictures or patterns to be complex, and indeed if each piece of the quilt is not properly sized and aligned the end product may be less than desired.
For some patterns, the pattern template is placed upon a piece of desired fabric and a cutter guide is then used to cut out the appropriate quilt piece. In some cases, a cutter guide may be used that has an additional margin incorporated so as to provide a proper sewing expanse for the quilt piece. U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,670 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,086 are cutter guides developed by the present applicant and which incorporate this additional margin so a to simplify the task of accounting for the sewing expanse when cutting out quilting pieces.
Paper piecing, also referred to as foundation piecing, is a variant of the quilting process and is growing in popularity. Using a paper pattern and stitching directly through the paper may simplify a very detailed quilting project. Although foundation piecing has been known for a long time, the evolution to paper piecing as a specific type of foundation piecing has rapidly grown in popularity recently.
Indeed paper piecing can be a very effective technique for handling odd angles and very small pieces of fabric that do not lend themselves well to traditional template piecing. With paper piecing, it is a common task to fold the pattern back upon itself along a seam line. This folding helps to establish straight, crisp lines that facilitate straight line sewing. Folding of the pattern is not an element of traditional template piecing, as the template is not sewn to the fabric.
Moreover, paper piecing is a great quilting option for beginners as well as for experienced quilters. One can make a wonderful quilt on their very first try since complicated patters are broken down into easily managed steps. Sewing the fabric to the paper makes matching points relatively easy and the paper stabilizes the fabric, enabling one to use even the smallest of fabric scraps.
Typically, in paper piecing, which is also known in the art as foundation piecing, the pattern of the intended quilt consists of a plurality of geometric shapes, each having straight edges. An oversized fabric piece is disposed under an intended shape such that the fabric extends beyond the edges of the shape. The paper pattern is folded back upon itself along each line of the shape in turn. This element of folding makes traditional template piecing guides of little use with respect to the folding process.
Moreover, a thin card is placed along a selected line and the paper template is folded back over the card—the edge of the card providing an abutment to ensure a straight and crisp crease directly upon the line. With the pattern now folded, the excess fabric material exposed by the fold may be trimmed to the proper width. This process is performed for each line of each piece.
Of course this requires a collection of tools—a card for the folding and a gage for establishing the sewing margin and a trimmer, at the very least. Keeping track of tools can be a challenge if the quilting project involves large amounts of fabric which may inadvertently cover a tool, or if the quilting project is being worked on in an environment where extra space is limited.
Hence there is a need for a method and system that is capable of overcoming one or more of the above identified challenges.